Monday, December 13, 2010

Been doing some “under the hood” work on the website over the past couple days. Aside from the mundane code refinements and minor visual tweaks it appears I’ve successfully implemented a news archive feature in the bottom right column. You can either search the current website posts by month/keyword or (if you’re feeling nostalgic) follow the link to the old site design which contains posts dating back to 2004. Also worth noting: I’ve made a few additions to the links section as well as reformatted the World’s Stupidest Comic images so that the comic loads faster. The latter is certainly not something that’s entirely necessary with today’s high-speed internet computers but I thought low-speed mobile device addicts like myself could benefit.

Speaking of improved performance, I just wanted to throw my name in the hat as a recent Google Chrome satisfied convert. I had run into some issues with Internet Explorer ceasing to function so I had to fall back on Chrome as a back-up internet browser. Ironically it was the process of researching Internet Explorer that ultimately got me hooked on Chrome. The streamlined interface, the faster page loads, its even got built-in spell check (why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?). I’m sure this is old news for all you technofreaks out there but for the uninitiated I encourage you to give Chrome a shot, it just may revolutionize the way you surf the web (and read crappy webcomics). For more info check out this illuminating documentation illustrated by none other than comics scholar/guru Scott McCloud.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Just completed a mandatory 4-hour online traffic school class (please don’t ask me to elaborate, it’s a sensitive subject). Initially I thought it would be a tedious, redundant and unnecessary exercise for someone whose sole offense was accidently resting his foot on the accelerator a bit too long. However I was soon proven wrong when I stumbled across these enlightening pearls of wisdom:

Watch out world, I’m a new man! My days of blindly driving in front of oncoming trains and clipping the occasional cyclist are a thing of the past!! THANK YOU ONLINE TRAFFIC SCHOOL!!!

…

I guess I shouldn’t complain too much though. According to this uplifting non sequitur I found in my traffic school documentation things could always be worse:

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Just posted my latest webcomic, Biking in California, for your viewing non-displeasure. Would have had this one ready sooner but I’ve been busy doing “extensive research” on the subject matter (ie the weather’s been unseasonably warm here so my free time has been occupied by more than webcomics lately).

Regarding the comic itself, it’s a departure from my usual style (looser, more colorful, different medium) which made the process a bit more challenging (at least a bit more challenging than drawing a bunch of stick figures might appear). Functionally I think the style compliments the simple “plot” nicely and creatively it was a refreshing change-of-pace after the more realistic style of my previous comic.

Also, in case they weren’t immediately obvious, I just wanted to point out some of the features I’ve added to the new site design. First we got RSS and Atom feeds on the header (above) for keeping up-to-date on my latest comics/blog posts. Second we got my Twitter updates in the right column (which, admittedly, appear to be all over the place in terms of subject matter, tone and frequency). Finally, we got an improved comment system after every post (below) and comic featuring realtime posts, notification and reply systems. So if you find yourself perusing one of my comics and feel inspired to leave a comment (even if it’s “this comic blows”) please don’t hesitate to test out the new system. For me, any evidence that people out there are reading my stuff is a good thing (let’s just say I’m not doing this for the money). :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

HUZZAH! I’m finally back in action! For those who stuck with me and new visitors alike thanks for browsing my new site design. The revised look is a long overdue change that takes advantage of new web features and advancements in technology (as you may have already noticed I was particularly eager to utilize the increased screen size and resolution of modern computers). Not being a huge tech guy by trade I’m sure there’ll still be a few kinks to work out but hopefully you can still navigate the pages alright. Anyway, I’ll probably have more to say on the subject at a later date but I’d like this first post to focus on the much more exciting news of my new webcomic post.

Random Rambles #1 is the first comic I’ve finished in almost two years (those who frequented my old site will know that the dry spell was not a result of laziness or lack of ideas, but lack of free time due to increased work hours). The inspiration for the latest comic is twofold. First, after spending many months chipping away at a large scale comic project which has since been put on indefinite hiatus I wanted my next project to be much smaller in scope (i.e. something I could reasonably finish amidst my busy schedule). Second, having been so long since I picked up the pencil, working on a collection of short, “random” comics (as implied by the title there will be more than one) seemed like the perfect way to reestablish my fundamental drawing skills as well as branch out and experiment with new styles and techniques. While the style of the next few comics may vary the subject matter will remain the same: simple, to-the-point semi-autobiographical quips, observations and amusing asides (“comic tweets” for lack of a better term) I stumbled across during my 16-month stint as a recluse workoholic.

Hope you enjoy the first installment and be sure to check back again soon for more rambles!